NANHE JAISALMER

Right intentions don’t necessarily translate into right results. NANHE JAISALMER is a case in point.Director Samir Karnik’s second outing is truly unconventional. It’s a simple story with no commercial paraphernalia and trappings, stars a kid as a protagonist, there’s no heavy duty drama here and nor is there the mandatory hero-heroine routine that Hindi films are made of. Oh yes, Karnik gambles big time this time around.As a storyteller, Karnik gets it right with NANHE JAISALMER. He has grown as a raconteur and his handling of a couple of sequences is indeed impressive. But it’s the writing, more specifically the pre-climax and climax, that ruins the show. Imaginary relationships were handled with dexterity in THE SIXTH SENSE and Karnik tries to do a SIXTH SENSE in NANHE JAISALMER, but fails to pull it off.

NANHE JAISALMER progresses smoothly [there’re aberrations in between] and you’re keen to know how Karnik and his team of writers would culminate this offbeat story eventually. But the climax is such an anti-climax!In a nutshell, NANHE JAISALMER appeals in bits and spurts. But that’s not enough!Young Nanhe [Dwij Yadav], a 10-year-old kid, is the breadwinner of his family. He lives in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan with his mother and sister. Nanhe’s room is full of colorful pictures and posters of his favorite movie star — Bobby Deol.Nanhe is a diehard Bobby Deol fan. He watches every film of his. He communicates to Bobby through letters written by his elder sister. Nanhe lives, eats, breathes, talks about his friend all the while. And one sunny morning, Nanhe comes face to face with his idol in the desert. NANHE JAISALMER holds your interest at several points. You’re awe-struck as you watch the kid carry the show on his puny shoulders. In fact, it’s tough to hold the viewer’s attention from start to end and the biggest of stars cannot guarantee that, but you’re mesmerized by the kid here.The emotional moments do strike a chord. The sequences between the mother [Pratiksha Lonkar] and the kid [Dwij] are well treated. Those between the kid and the grown-ups, especially after the ‘Gadha’ episode, are interesting.But NANHE JAISALMER is not without its share of loose ends. The songs [Himesh Reshammiya] are a big bore. Barring the title track and to an extent, the marriage song, the two Bobby Deol songs seem forced in the narrative. Also, the sequences in the night school can do with trimming.Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is topnotch. The dialogues are simple and that works in a film like this. NANHE JAISALMER belongs to Dwij Yadav. His performance can be rightly described in one word — magnificent. He’s adorable and supremely talented. So good is this wonder kid that all actors in NANHE JAISALMER pale in comparison. A matchless performance!Bobby is a complete miscast. The role demanded a hugely popular star, someone like SRK, Salman, Aamir, Hrithik or Akshay. Had it been a superstar enacting the character, the identification with it would’ve been immense then. The viewer knows that Bobby is not in the top bracket and that’s why this character appears fake.Pratiksha Lonkar and Bina Kak are competent. Sharat Saxena, Vivek Shauq and Rajesh Vivek are passable. Vatsal Sheth is wooden.On the whole, NANHE JAISALMER has been made with noble intentions, but will find very few takers. At the box-office, it’s a non-starter.